Kansas bows out of season amidst university scandal

INDIANAPOLIS – Bill Self deployed the No. 1 team to America on Tuesday night to begin the college basketball season. The Kansas Jayhawks looked sure to dominate the game, controlling the game from end to end against Michigan State, dominating for stretching, then holding in an uneven finish to start the season 1-0.

It could be a sunny season for Kansas.

It will also probably be a season accompanied by a persistent cloud that could overshadow everything.

Yahoo Sports reported late Tuesday that federal investigators who are suing for corruption in college basketball have given the go-ahead to the NCAA's application for it to sue for breaking the rules. It is unclear exactly what information the NCAA can use during federal government investigations in the first of three felony trials, which ended last month with three guilty verdicts. It is also unclear what the NCAA will do with the information it has.

But this is clear: the NCAA is now on the case. And it goes without saying that Kansas would be at the top or near the top of the to-do list in NCAA surveys.

If they wanted to save time, law enforcement officials could have traveled the 1.6-kilometer NCAA headquarters to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to open the investigation. as soon as the Jayhawks were out of the shower on Tuesday night. It was an interesting coincidence.

Playing through this would not be easy. Coaching would be even more difficult. No one knows how long such an investigation might take, but the College Basketball Rice Commission recommended NCAA members an expedited process – in other words, it must be guarded against.

The Jayhawks were deeply rooted in the first federal trial. As a result of testimony heard and evidence submitted, the school has already retained the great man Silvio De Sousa from the competition – Adidas TK Gassnola testified that he had paid $ 2,500 to De's guardian Sousa, Fenny Falmagne, to ensure the safety of the 6-foot-9 striker for Kansas. Gassnola also said that for Kansas to sign De Sousa, his guardian had to "get out of under" an agreement under which a Maryland reminder paid him $ 60,000. And Gassnola testified that he had paid 89,000 dollars to the mother of former Jayhawk Billy Preston, who had never played in a game during his season with the program.

Then there is Kansas Assistant Coach Kurtis Townsend. Attorneys at trial read the transcript of a federal wiretap in which Townsend evoked a possible illicit payment plan for the family of five-star rookie Zion Williamson – who played here at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night for Duke in the second game of the night against Kentucky. A lawyer read a transcript, quoting Townsend saying to Code that he would give the old college essay: "I just have to try to work and find a way, because if that's what it is have to come in for 10 months, we're you have to do it in a certain way. "

And then there is the Self itself. He chatted frequently with Gassnola and, according to the transcripts of the trial, they were not discussing the wheat harvest in Kansas. They were mainly talking about the rookies and how Adidas could help the Jayhawks land their players.

The university defended Self and Townsend, causing perplexity for many sports specialists. We will see if this position is sustainable in the future.

There are a thousand acres of smoke that seem directly related to a forest fire in eastern Kansas. And now, the NCAA could be on the way, just in time for the season to begin.

The Kansas team that sent Michigan State 92-87 played the role of a national champion candidate. The Jayhawks are big, powerful, athletic and skillful – a combination of rather dreamy attributes. They have veterans, both grown under the program and imported as transfers. And they have mandatory first-year stallions in guards Quentin Grimes (No. 8 in the Rivals.com class of 2018) and Devon Dotson (No. 20 in the class).

Grimes was Kansas' top scorer against Michigan State, recording 21 losses in his college debut. He is physically mature for his age and shot as he was perfectly at home on the big stage, with six points in 3 points. "Q was fabulous," said Self afterwards.

The Memphis transfer, Dedric Lawson, had the best full match, with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, while he had only managed 5 out of 18 shots on the field. He could be the main man in Kansas.

The story continues